GUEST COLUMNIST: Lessons can be learned from District 4 election

By Rebecca RothmanSpecial to The Tuscaloosa News

Published: Sunday, December 1, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, November 30, 2013 at 3:38 p.m.

On Nov. 13, Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge James Roberts dismissed Kelly Horwitz’s challenge to the election of Cason Kirby as the District 4 representative on the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education. Having been active in Horwitz’s campaign and having watched her legal challenge closely, I believe Judge Roberts’s opinion was flawed, and Horwitz recently announced her intention to appeal the decision.

Regardless of how the case will be concluded, I think it is important for all of us — local residents, homeowners and parents — to ask a fundamental question: What did we learn from this election and the controversies that surrounded it? The lessons are grim. But there is room for hope — and action.

There were some encouraging signs. The PACs that poured nearly $200,000 into the school board election backed seven candidates and vastly outspent incumbents. Yet four of those candidates lost, leaving in place a majority of board members who have worked hard to improve our schools. Tuscaloosa’s voters made clear that they want to run their schools for the benefit of every child, and that money doesn’t always talk.

Still, two candidates did win: Lee Garrison for chair, and Cason Kirby in the contested District 4 election. Garrison was outvoted in five districts, winning only because of the district north of the river and a specific portion of the Greek vote in District 4. Given how long he served District 4 on the City Council, it’s worth noting most of his votes came from the university, not from residents. Cason Kirby depended entirely on Greek votes for his victory.

We have learned a lot since then. Because Kirby shut down Horwitz’s challenge without allowing witnesses to be called, the judge prevented much of the truth from coming out. But media reports, finance reports, and court filings help fill in the story.

We learned that Kirby and Garrison, both alumni of UA Greek organizations associated with the historically segregated network known as the Machine, won because the Machine’s services were enlisted on their behalf. We learned many students were forced to register and vote, and that the residency of many voting in District 4 was in question. We learned that voters were offered free drinks or concert tickets in exchange for voting. Whether that conduct was legal or not, everyone agreed that it was unethical.

We learned that the Machine, which has controlled campus politics for generations, is willing to put these tactics to work off campus, affecting the lives of parents, residents and children. Few residents will forget the sight of rented limousines ferrying students to the polls. Those limos were paid for by two PACs with the word “education” in their names, at a cost of some $9,000. In other words, some groups claim they care about education, but spent more on limos in one day than they have ever spent on schools.

Since the election, we have learned many longtime Tuscaloosa residents are still angry. These citizens care about our city and our schools, and have worked hard to improve them. In the end, they discovered that they are disenfranchised. Everything they worked for can be jeopardized by a small number of people, for as little as a free beer.

And they discovered that these people, who are old enough to vote, marry or enlist in the military, will be shielded from the consequences of their actions, while those who put them up to it stay secret. Our politicians should know that Tuscaloosa’s residents will not get over their anger any time soon.

Finally, we learned that authorities are eager to pass the buck. The Machine and the election are everyone’s problems. But to the authorities, they always seem to be someone else’s problem. No one — not the university, city or Attorney General — has stepped up or spoken out.

Everyone passed the buck to Kelly Horwitz. Those authorities may point to the challenge’s questionable dismissal, or to the appeal, to justify doing nothing.

These are all are disheartening lessons. But there are some positive ones, too. For one thing, circumstances are changing. A growing number of students and residents don’t believe the city or the university should be disproportionately influenced by a small, all-too-exclusive group.

For all their money and misdeeds, the Machine and its allies lost more races than they won this election.

We have also learned that if we want change in this city, we have to do it ourselves. We need to be organized, informed and vocal. And we will be. We will work with new members of the Board of Education. But we will also pay attention to their actions, their campaign disclosures, their conflict of interest forms and their PAC relationships. We will share what we learn. Secrecy is over.

We will also continue to insist that those in power act responsibly. The university and local authorities ought to take steps to confront the Machine and its tactics. As long as that “secret” society feels free to act without restraint, Tuscaloosa will continue to be associated in the public eye and press not just with football victories and National Merit Scholars, but with the Machine, segregation and broken politics.

And we will not stop addressing the Machine problem. In this, we will find help from a surprising corner: Machine-affiliated students. It was students, not the university or its president, who spoke out about racial segregation in the Greek system. It was students who came forward to reveal election misdeeds.

These young people don’t want to have to choose between belonging to a fraternity or sorority and acting decently. They refuse to be cogs in a machine. The adults who advise them, along with President Judy Bonner and others, must listen — and act.

What we want is simple: good, fair, transparent government — government of, by and for all the people, not just an elite few. We want students to be respected, not manipulated. We want a city, a university and schools we can be proud of. We have learned a lot about barriers that stand in the way of these goals, and the secrecy and apathy that reinforce them. And we have learned a lot about how not to let this happen again.

Rebecca Rothman has lived in Tuscaloosa since 2000. She is a mother of two children, including one son who attends a Tuscaloosa City School.

<p>On Nov. 13, Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge James Roberts dismissed Kelly Horwitz's challenge to the election of Cason Kirby as the District 4 representative on the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education. Having been active in Horwitz's campaign and having watched her legal challenge closely, I believe Judge Roberts's opinion was flawed, and Horwitz recently announced her intention to appeal the decision.</p><p>Regardless of how the case will be concluded, I think it is important for all of us — local residents, homeowners and parents — to ask a fundamental question: What did we learn from this election and the controversies that surrounded it? The lessons are grim. But there is room for hope — and action.</p><p>There were some encouraging signs. The PACs that poured nearly $200,000 into the school board election backed seven candidates and vastly outspent incumbents. Yet four of those candidates lost, leaving in place a majority of board members who have worked hard to improve our schools. Tuscaloosa's voters made clear that they want to run their schools for the benefit of every child, and that money doesn't always talk.</p><p>Still, two candidates did win: Lee Garrison for chair, and Cason Kirby in the contested District 4 election. Garrison was outvoted in five districts, winning only because of the district north of the river and a specific portion of the Greek vote in District 4. Given how long he served District 4 on the City Council, it's worth noting most of his votes came from the university, not from residents. Cason Kirby depended entirely on Greek votes for his victory.</p><p>We have learned a lot since then. Because Kirby shut down Horwitz's challenge without allowing witnesses to be called, the judge prevented much of the truth from coming out. But media reports, finance reports, and court filings help fill in the story.</p><p>We learned that Kirby and Garrison, both alumni of UA Greek organizations associated with the historically segregated network known as the Machine, won because the Machine's services were enlisted on their behalf. We learned many students were forced to register and vote, and that the residency of many voting in District 4 was in question. We learned that voters were offered free drinks or concert tickets in exchange for voting. Whether that conduct was legal or not, everyone agreed that it was unethical. </p><p>We learned that the Machine, which has controlled campus politics for generations, is willing to put these tactics to work off campus, affecting the lives of parents, residents and children. Few residents will forget the sight of rented limousines ferrying students to the polls. Those limos were paid for by two PACs with the word “education” in their names, at a cost of some $9,000. In other words, some groups claim they care about education, but spent more on limos in one day than they have ever spent on schools. </p><p>Since the election, we have learned many longtime Tuscaloosa residents are still angry. These citizens care about our city and our schools, and have worked hard to improve them. In the end, they discovered that they are disenfranchised. Everything they worked for can be jeopardized by a small number of people, for as little as a free beer.</p><p>And they discovered that these people, who are old enough to vote, marry or enlist in the military, will be shielded from the consequences of their actions, while those who put them up to it stay secret. Our politicians should know that Tuscaloosa's residents will not get over their anger any time soon. </p><p>Finally, we learned that authorities are eager to pass the buck. The Machine and the election are everyone's problems. But to the authorities, they always seem to be someone else's problem. No one — not the university, city or Attorney General — has stepped up or spoken out.</p><p>Everyone passed the buck to Kelly Horwitz. Those authorities may point to the challenge's questionable dismissal, or to the appeal, to justify doing nothing. </p><p>These are all are disheartening lessons. But there are some positive ones, too. For one thing, circumstances are changing. A growing number of students and residents don't believe the city or the university should be disproportionately influenced by a small, all-too-exclusive group.</p><p>For all their money and misdeeds, the Machine and its allies lost more races than they won this election. </p><p>We have also learned that if we want change in this city, we have to do it ourselves. We need to be organized, informed and vocal. And we will be. We will work with new members of the Board of Education. But we will also pay attention to their actions, their campaign disclosures, their conflict of interest forms and their PAC relationships. We will share what we learn. Secrecy is over. </p><p>We will also continue to insist that those in power act responsibly. The university and local authorities ought to take steps to confront the Machine and its tactics. As long as that “secret” society feels free to act without restraint, Tuscaloosa will continue to be associated in the public eye and press not just with football victories and National Merit Scholars, but with the Machine, segregation and broken politics.</p><p>And we will not stop addressing the Machine problem. In this, we will find help from a surprising corner: Machine-affiliated students. It was students, not the university or its president, who spoke out about racial segregation in the Greek system. It was students who came forward to reveal election misdeeds.</p><p>These young people don't want to have to choose between belonging to a fraternity or sorority and acting decently. They refuse to be cogs in a machine. The adults who advise them, along with President Judy Bonner and others, must listen — and act.</p><p>What we want is simple: good, fair, transparent government — government of, by and for all the people, not just an elite few. We want students to be respected, not manipulated. We want a city, a university and schools we can be proud of. We have learned a lot about barriers that stand in the way of these goals, and the secrecy and apathy that reinforce them. And we have learned a lot about how not to let this happen again. </p><p>Rebecca Rothman has lived in Tuscaloosa since 2000. She is a mother of two children, including one son who attends a Tuscaloosa City School.</p>